Ruth McLeod-Kearns

Born in Colorado, McLeod-Kearns is a novelette/short story author whose work is largely based on her experiences with trauma nursing and loss. Finding solace in writing from adolescence, McLeod-Kearns was constantly practicing her craft, unable to shake the dream of becoming an author. Although this wouldn’t happen for many years, writing was always a part of her life; whether it was a brief teenage reporting career or journaling throughout nursing school, her passion for the written word has only gotten stronger with time.

Becoming a nurse in 1984, McLeod-Kearns dedicated her time and energy to saving lives. Being the sole provider for her family, her full-time schedule kept her from writing but kept the electricity on. Her work in trauma and emergency medicine has taken her through some of the largest hospitals in the nation while undoubtedly exposing her to just about

everything. Nursing has given her the priceless gift of life experience, something that acts as the inspiration for many of her writings.

Following a work related injury that ended her nursing career in 2009, McLeod-Kearns was given the opportunity to continue pursuing her passion for writing. This time led to the self-publication of her first novelette, Carnations Never Wilt. Carnations marked the beginning of the ten part series, 30 Minutes or Less, composed of novelettes designed to be read in a half an hour or less. Along with the series, McLeod-Kearns has found success through her blog, I’ll Bring the Coffee. Coffee reaches over 100,000 people each week from all around the world. Covering topics ranging from the heart wrenching pain of loss to the joys of parenthood, it provides people with a place to talk about things that aren’t usually talked about.

The people she has seen and the lives she has touched along the way has provided her with a unique yet relatable outlook on humanity. These experiences have given her the voice to speak about life’s hardships and losses that can be understood by people from any walk of life. Aside from writing, McLeod-Kearns enjoys spending time with her wife and three boys, gardening, Netflix and the Los Angeles Dodgers. She resides in Central California and remains a full-time writer. An eleventh novelette is due in Spring of 2016.

The word “impossible” is a hard word to comprehend. It can mean different things to different people and doesn’t even exist in the vocabularies of the greats. But for most of us, these 10 letters don’t just create a word, yet, a loss of hope; a cold denial or a heart-wrenching rejection. In contrast, the aforementioned group of determined and motivated individuals see the word “impossible” as simply a synonym for “challenge”.

Everyone reacts differently when they’re told they’re not good enough or that they can’t do what they desire. Whether the rejection is regarding finances, a struggling marriage, or an illness that’s winning – the strongest beings are wired to believe that somehow, someway, something can be done to beat the odds. Unfortunately, under the thin veneer of stoicism is a ball of terror that dwells deep within their gut. For the determined, this fear fuels their drive to succeed – they thrive on it. I used to be one of these people.

Forgiveness: it is something that is taught in spiritual writings, spoken of in churches worldwide, and considered the rarest of gifts. A simple three syllable word composed of consonants and vowels – but we all know it’s so much more than that. From the get-go, we teach our kids about it and we try our hardest to act as their example of how to obtain it but it’s not always possible.

What we can’t teach them how difficult it can be to forgive someone who has caused you pain. Of all the words, ‘forgiveness’ may be one of the most difficult words to spit up when the appropriate time calls for it. There’s no question about it: the more we love somebody, the harder it is once certain lines have been crossed and hurtful words said; once they’ve seemingly thrown away our trust and stomped on our heart.